President warns on corruption

BEIJING: The Chinese President, Hu Jintao, has warned that corruption could bring about the collapse of the Communist Party and the state, after a year of staggering revelations about the wealth that has been amassed by China's leading families.

Mr Hu, delivering his last and most important speech after a decade as general secretary of the Communist Party, implored officials to rein in their families but stopped short of identifying new ways in which that could be done.

''If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state,'' Mr Hu said in his work report to the 2268 members of the 18th party congress, which is the first stage of the largest leadership transition in the 63-year history of the People's Republic.

''All those who violate party discipline and state laws, whoever they are and whatever power or official positions they have, must be brought to justice without mercy,'' he said.

Delegates attend the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Bloomberg

The final year of Mr Hu's decade at the helm of the party has been rocked by a series of scandals, including the murder of Englishman Neil Heywood, which led to the fall of ambitious leader Bo Xilai. Subsequent foreign media reports revealed staggering wealth accumulated by the families of Mr Bo, outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao and incoming leader Xi Jinping.

While Mr Bo is set to face court next year, the party has responded to other revelations only by blocking access to the news platforms that reported them.

The congress, which will convene for a week, will ''elect'' a new Central Committee of about 200 people who will immediately convene the first plenum meeting on about November 15.

That meeting will immediately anoint a new politburo of about 25 members, and also a seven- or nine-member standing committee. In reality, the make-up of the new leadership will be determined by powerbrokers.